Narrative Story for my Animation

Concept Brief
To develop a 3D animation narrative using 3D software, After Effects and video editing software Final Cut Pro

The narrative needs to relate to my personal avatar and also using similar if not the same style.

The style must be clean and consistent style with a cartoon graphic look and feel.

The narrative must have a consistency about it as it will be part of an on going animation series for folio preposes, showcasing my skills in 3D animation and editing.

Narrative

The narrative story takes place on a factory floor. When the workers arrive the lights are turned one and they proceed to their stations. In particular two factory workers make their way to the crane stations, while a train carriage rolls onto the floor via the large roller access door way. Without much concern for the contents of the crates, the carriage just dumps them on the factory floor, leaving it to the workers to organise the chaos.

The crane operators then proceed to organise the mess of crates into some sort on an order. When they have completed that task they continue to open the crates and remove the contents of those crates on to the floor. Though they run into problems when they can’t decide where to place each item to crate some sort of a scene. So they tussle with each other trying to agree on some sort of a set up.

All the commotion raises the attention of the boss, so he comes out onto the floor to see what’s going on. When the workers realise he is watch this one decides to pick him up. The other worker quickly realising what’s going on joins in on the fun. The two of them proceed to dump him into an already empty crate. Though the boss tries to struggle out of the grip of the crane but is eventually forced into the box. To make sure he doesn’t interfere again they both seal the box and carry it over to the dumpster where they drop it in.

The workers then go back to their argument on the placement of each object in the scene. Eventually they give up and decide to confront each other on the floor. So they approach each other and start verbally arguing. Suddenly both cranes come to life and look at each other seeming to indicate that they are about to do something to the arguing workers.

Both cranes quickly swoop down and grab the two workers and caring them over to two empty crates and dumping them inside. Then placing the lids back on top sealing them in and caring the crates over to the dumpster where the boss is still struggling to get out. The cranes then go back to the scene set up and in complete co-operation with each other they finish it off and pack them selves up.

The floor manager comes out to start shutting machines down and looks at the work that was completed, but scratches his head wondering where everybody is. He walks over the switches and turns the lights out and walks out the door.

First Assignment for Semester 2 - Open Brief

The first brief is a self driven brief where we can do anything. Because I'm into 3D animation i've decided to do an animation thats based on my Avatar. I've developed a series of still image representing my avatar but never a animation. I also want to up this piece in my folio as a feature represent myself as a person in way the narrative is played out.

I have a couple of idea for the narrative

1. PRACTICAL JOKE
This narrative involves three versions of my avatar, a black, white and red version all with different characteristics about them, such as movement and design features will additional add ons like hats or belts.
The white avatar is working in a construction factory using a crane to setup the scene for a showcase evening. His other work mates have decided to play a joke on the other avatar by using music. As the White character proceeds to inspect his work by taking a seat in the bucket chair music suddenly starts playing at an absurd volume, he quick ups out of the chair in fright, stunned and confused about what just happened. So he takes a seat again but the music starts playing again, repeating this a couple of times. Eventually the white character starts to look around to find out whats happening and when hes doing this the music starts playing again even louder and slowly increases in volume until it starts blowing him off his feet. He then get blow off his feel flipping over the chair and causing him to hold on for dear life. But eventually he slips and is blown into the wall falling to the ground inadvertently knocking the power plug out the socket turning off the music. There are consequences for their action and the two characters are booted out the back door hence loosing their jobs.

2. CONSTRUCTION WAR
The three different avatars are working in harmony when they are told to unpack and construct a scene on the factory floor before it is shipped to all the show rooms. They they each proceed to take a crane and start unpacking the contents of each container. However as they are unpacking the containers they all start to disagree on where to place each item for the scene. So a battle between each avatar erupts into objects flying all over the place, braking and smashing into all sorts of objects creating factory floor chaos. After the fight is over they all find themselves being booted out the back door in the middle of the night.

3. MUSIC TUNES
While the avatar is unpacking the contents of the creates he discovers that its a digital music set. So after he has completed the set up he proceeds to start playing music on the set hence creating an interesting and funky beet. But unfortunately the boss didn't like ones beet so he boots him out the back door into the darkness.

Firstly i need another opinion on which one i should develop into an animation, so comments welcome.

Moving Image: Assignment 3 - Still Images

Moving Image: Studio Introduction Animation

Okay....Next Assignment: Digital Game

Will elaborate on the assignment details later on but here are a couple of mock up buildings that i did rather quickly. The buildings are based on the ancient Mayan culture as our game is based around that time and we thought the buildings and outfits looked pretty cool so we used them as an influence.


This is an image of the central Mayan Temple and three smaller buildings. The temple is the center piece of the environment layout. The three smaller buildings from the left are the Forum, where a user may leave a message, the next is the Jump Platform, which is a faster way of getting around the map, the building on the right is the Portal building. Each building will be scattered around the map for users to interact with.



This last building is a generic base for the blue and red team. In the game they will have different colours and probably flags and stuff indicating the team it belongs to. Also the small stands around the central building on top are the place holders for the sixteen objects that the user may collect to win the game.

Assignment 2: Animating the Post Human

Assignment 2 - Animation the Post Human DONE and DONE

The life i didn't have while working on this assignment!

Well the animation is complete...however it didn't turn out exactly like i planed. Originally the concept was to develope a 1 to 2 min advertisment for the 'Crack Wash Squad'. However it sort of didn't really turn out that why.

About a week before it was due i had animated and rendered outabout 70% of my scenes but realised that many of them wouldn't really work in a advertisment but fortunately i realised that they would fit perfectly into a short story, news report, or a documentary. So in my great wisdom 7 days before it was due i changed the approach to the documentary with a intention of developing a voice over and sound effects. I have to admit it worked out pretty well considering i had to restrusture the entire animation. Also i have to re-animate and render out new scenes that would further develope and complete the documentary, not to mention it turned out to be about 3:30 in length. So as you would have figured i went nuts on it or, in a nut shell "i had no life".

So basically i started with re-ordering and redrawing my scene sketchs and also my storyboard. As i discovered about a week before my project was due, which i really should have figured before hand, you really can't do a good 3D animation short without a detailed storyboard consisting of ever scene you want to create in 3D. It just takes way to long to model, rig, texture, animate, and render out a new scene if you find that one is missing. So naturally i need to do that...luckly only once!!!

After i finished all the additional scenes and rendered them out i imported them all into Final Cut Pro and started slicing the dicing them all together according to my storyboard. After a few modifications on the story board in the editing process i finally had a rough cut put together with about 4 days to go. Not bad considering i changed the idea only 7 days before it was due! Although i hadn't done the opening sequence or the closing credit, let alone the special effects (not that here are many anyway)

So i quickly got on to that. Using Adobe After Effects i produced a quick opening sequence and the closing credit and lastly putting together the scene that required a small amount of masking and overlaying. Thankfully didn't take long at all so i moved onto the voice over and the sound effects pretty quickly.

The next step was to develope the script and sound effects. You would probably think that one would write the script before the process of the animation would actually take place because its a significant part of the short develope process. But the funny thing is i find that i can often wing things like that. In other words i just have a basic story plot and then (while watching the rough cut) randomly create a voice over. However i did eventually write a script after having to do multiple recording sessions. And yes if you've seen the animation i did do the voice over myself, besides i was winging it, i had to! and the time constrait.

After the voice over was complete i imported it into Final Cut Pro with the rough cut and started the slicing the dicing process all over again. So i cut out the mistakes and bad moments or unnessecary lines and then attached it to the video component of the animation. However this is the part that took me quite some time. Editing the voice over to play in sink with the animation took a lot of editing effort. Eventually i got a result i was happy with but still didn't think it was finished. So i went through the process of a number of rough cut versions.

After i a full day solid in front of the computer i was feeling a little wired and not so great, not to mention mum said i was a bit crankey...which i was inclinded to agree with her...and not to mention a full 10 hours with 1 or 2 short breaks in between will do that to you! Yeah! i know you shouldn't sit in front of a computer screen to all hours or for all hours but i really didn't have much of a choise if i wanted to get it done.

The next task was to create the sound effects for the animation. Again i used Final Cut pro to slice and dice them together. Luckilly i didn't have to record any additional sounds as i found a good site that provited royality free sound effects and had a pretty good library as well. So i addapted and modled those sounds from other machines, applicences in the house (scanners, microwave, etc), to fit the walking motions and movements of the characters. Took some time but i think i did ok.

Finally it was DONE! but not over. I still had to complete the presentation DVD and the documentation booklet plus CD (which turned out to be a DVD because i had so much crap to show my documentation) Took me about a day to complete all that and yes i was finally 99.95% done. Animation, documentation, sounds, presentation, etc all done!

As a last remark on my work. I'm still not happy with some of the animation scenes used and would love to go back and rework them so when i present them in my folio or show reel i'll be happy with the end product.

btw...i'll upload the animation in a couple of days when i get organised but for now...I AN'T DOING ANYTHING! besides sleep...and golf.

enjoy...and comments welcome

Assignment2 - 3D animation (intro)

For my second project the brief requires me to complete an animation in any style i wish, so natually i've chosen to complete mine in 3D, that relates to a theme of post humanism. Basically how technology relates to man or how we've become dependent on technology.

Using the Washing Machine character that i already created previously i will create a short animation based on the character. The chosen type is an advertisment introducing the latest in laundry services for the every day home. So its a Washing Machine, a dryer, and an iron Press that can run to your home, do you laundry all for you. In a nut shell it basically introduces the "Crack Laundry Squad, for all your laudry emergencies"

The process to develope the animation will require my self to develop it in steps. These steps being...'

1. Modeling (character & scenes)
2. Rigging
3. Animation
4. Test rendering 1
5. Refine Animation
6. Test rendering 2
7. Refine if required
8. Texturing
9. Final rendering 3

That being the 3D modeling component of the process. The second process will be to edit all the scenes together and apply effects using Adobe After Effects.

1. Import all still animation squence shots into After Effects
2. Apply effects and sounds
3. Test rendering 1
4. Refine effects
5. Rest rendering 2
6. Refine if required
7. Final Rendering 3 (quicktime files)

The final process is to import it all into Final Cut Pro. Although i could complete the editing in Adobe After Effects i prefer to complete the editing in Final Cut because its easier to work in additional sounds and effects like slow motion etc, if required.

1. Import quicktime files of final sequences
2. Edit the sequences together as listed in storyboard
3. Import and apply sound
4. Test rendering 1
5. Refine editing
6. Test rendering 2
7. Refine if required
9. Final rendering as 1 quicktime file

Final to complete and animation and to hand it in for assesment, all development files, front cover design, DVD creation will be completed last.

Yep...THE WASHING MACHINE

For some buzzar reason i seem to have what some people would call an obsession with a household appliance that is known as a washing machine. Because of this "obsession" i decided to model a washing machine in 3D and turn it into a robotic character. Yep...a fully blown walking talking washing machine that can walk about your house and do all your washing for you. Now if you say that ain't cool you so have some thing wrong with you!!!

To explain how i developed this so called "obsession" i was just sitting in front of my computer wondering what i could possible model for fun to kill some time while i wasn't playing golf. So i decided to go to the kitchen and do my common household criminal act and raid the kitchen of any interesting, expensive and naturally delicious food that i would eventually realise that would annoy mother due to the fact that she wouldn't have what she needed to cook dinner that night! but can you really blame me for such an act...I mean come on...im a young active, energetic man who just happens to love eating while going whatever, whether its golf (yes i tend to snack a lot on the golf course...its a physically demanding sport you know! lol), TV, homework, or just mucking around more often than not i'll have something in my hand that is edible, most of the time its fruit...i tell you i just can't walk past a fresh piece of fruit...personally i say thats rather criminal...i know i have a funny interpretation of whats criminal and whats not! yep what can i say, im a crazy bastard!

Anyway back to the story...as i was raiding the kitchen mother came in and asked me to finish my washing as she wanted to do her own. So i went to the laundry and proceeded to complete what i have honestly completely forgotten about, rather normal for me actually. As i was loading the dryer an epiphany struck. Model a character with a washing machine body, and the so called "obsession" was born. I tell you i haven't lived it down yet...a probably never will for that matter.

Yep there is more...I developed my character in a couple of hours and started putting it in crazy poses and crazy other stuff and did further experimentation with it for a couple of day and till i got over it...or so i thought!

Just a quick back story...i also used the basic first character in a animation in my 3D animation class last year in first semester but that was before my multimedia studio.

Last year during my multimedia studio we were presented with an assignment that required us to develop an abstract clock in flash...now this was a couple of week (i think) after i can created my character. Then another epiphany stuck...why now use the washing machine interface to develop a clock...and i thought i turn out pretty good. And then the next assignment came, develop a multi linear narrative...yep i used the washing machine character again! can u blame me?!? i think not!

At this stage i have advanced is body parts a lot further to make him or it (to be far 'or her') to a much more sophisticated look...basically i dramatically improved the modeling of the arms and legs including the hands and feet. Anyways back to the story again...So that would mean that i've used the character in about 3 assignments and this lasted animation for Digital Arts Studio will make 4 but this one isn't my FAULT!!! The assignments was to develop an animation based around post humanism ideas. So the Washing Machine character just seemed to work so well so you can't blame me! Blame Troy my tutor.

So i'll post up my story any images later on!

Moving Image: Assignment 1 - Still Image (Research)

Cartoon Render of Saddam Former leader of Iraq

Pres Bush with Saddam doll (mock-up)

Mickey Mouse (obviously)

Security detail

Dice it up

For the first Digital Arts project i've decided to develop a concept around a dice. Basically it will be the inner workings of the human mind in six steps relating back to how a multimedia and digital arts piece is developed from concept scetchs and ideas to final product and production.

So in a nut shell the six sides of a dice in the animation will open up and display a number of quick animations. The sequence will be played out in order from 1 to 6 with each side like a portal into the mind of a multimedia and digital artist's mind.

any comments or questions welcome!

A Little about Little old Me!

Just to let you know a little about me, if you interested that is...

Im very much into 3D modeling and animation although im still only a novice/intermediate at it i love to experiment and muck around with 3D characters and models in my spare time when im not playing golf!

I just a number of programs to develop my 3D stuff partictuly Maya7 which is currently, or as far as i know, industry standard so hopefully by the time i start looking for jobs studios will still be using it. The other programs i use include, PhotoShop and Illustrator CS, After Effects, Flash (although i really don't like that program, Final Cut, and a number of others that i couldn't be bothered mentioning.

Personally i love Multimedia and Digital arts and totally up to us (most of the time) to the way we approach most of the briefs although i know it wouldn't be like that when i get out to the industry but i suppose i'll just enjoy it while it lasts!

Anyway enough of little of boring me! hope you enjoy my blog

Btw...i called it the inner workings of a golf ball because...yep you guessed it...i love to spoil a good walk with a bag of funny shaped sticks and small round things called golf balls. Though i have to admit the concept of the game is really stupid...You have this MASSIVE area to hit a small golf ball into a tiny little hole a few hundred meters away and not to mention you have to do it 18 times a round and with the lowest amount of stocks! STUPID i say but incredible addictive and not to mention INCREDIBLY ANNOYING!!! but what can i say i love it! LOL!

Have a good one!
and if you want to check out some of my stuff just click here to my DeviantArt page

Welcome Peoples

Welcome to my blog about the inner workings of a Golf ball...basically meaning my Multimedia and digital art developments and creations!

Moving Image: Assignment 1 - Still Image

The first assignment for DIS3903 is to add still images to a supplied audio clip. The audio clip is a small part of a longer clip taken from a comedian rambling on about the US president and gaining control of the oil fields.

My chosen approach to the assignment is to us 3D graphics. The words will be represented with 3D character of washing machines dressed up in different clothing and also represented using different models.

Because the audio clip is based on saddam the environmental setting will be set in the desert to represent the desert landscape of Iraq.

The assignment prevents us from creating anything that moves but we are still able to create a semi moving image using about a quarter of the frames.

To research for the character designs, the description from the audio will in provide the visual influence to research and model the characters for the assignment.